Book Review:Nutritional Oncology

Nutritional Oncology provides acomprehensive review of the
current scientific literature on nutritional factors affecting the
prevention and treatment of cancer. The books primary objective
is to detail findings in the new field of nutritional oncology, which
investigates the nutritional components of prevention, supportive
care, and therapy. The preface states: Nutritional oncology
seeks to modify the environmental factors influencing genetic changes
and their expression at every stage of carcinogenesis, from
initiation of the cancer cell to its metastatic spread to other areas
of the body.

Support for the book was provided by the Cancer Treatment Research
Foundation (CTRF), an organization whose purpose is to benefit cancer
patients by furthering research and promoting helpful nutritional
interventions.

This book is intended to be a textbook for health care professionals.
It would be appropriate for researchers, oncologists, nutritionists,
and primary care providers, especially those promoting cancer
prevention strategies.

The book is divided into five sections: biological principles,
etiology, prevention, assessment and therapy, and clinical trials.
There are 46 chapters in all, written by a total of 78 contributors,
each of which is a distinguished expert in the field. This format,
with organization into sections and chapters, provides easy access to
information.

Chapter topics include individual types of cancer; specific
nutrients; the carcinogenic process; epidemiology; and the
nutritional concerns of the cancer patient. Each chapter is
extensively referenced at its conclusion. There are no appendices.

Although the overall appearance of the text is attractive, it is
published entirely in black and white and has no photographs.
However, the book does include a number of clear figures and tables.

This is an outstanding book that accomplishes its objective of
detailing the scientific literature on nutritional factors affecting
the initiation, growth, and outcomes of cancer. It will serve as an
exceptional tool for clinicians and researchers.

Overall, Nutritional Oncology is well written, but some
chapters lack careful editing. Spelling errors have been missed in
several places(for example, see chapter 30). At least one textual
error in chapter 1 completely omits a section on vitamins as an
essential nutrient.

Given the wealth of material presented and the format of completely
discrete chapters each written by a different author, the book might
have benefited from a final section in which the editors
comments, opinions, and, possibly, recommendations were shared.
Readers hoping to apply the information to their clinical practice
will be left with questions on how to proceed.